Students at Shaler Area Elementary blast through space in new on-campus simulator

It looks just like the bridge of a spaceship and lets students work through missions -- including trips through space, inside the human body and into the past, where they decide whether or not to stop the sinking of the Lusitania, an act that eventually drew the U.S. into World War I.

SHALER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -

The lesson plan for students at Shaler Area Elementary School now includes blasting sea monsters and trying to change the course of history.

The school officially launched its new simulator, named the IKS Titan, on Wednesday. It looks just like the bridge of a spaceship and lets students work through missions including trips through space, inside the human body, and into the past, where they decide whether or not to stop the sinking of the Lusitania, an act that eventually drew the United States into World War I.

"We know what the history says in social studies, but the kids have the option to go with history or change the trace of history,” said Kara Eckert, assistant to the Shaler Area superintendent. “So they could not make the ship sink, and take their course on a different mission."

The school paid for the simulator using an $80,000 grant from the Grable Foundation. The missions are all linked to subjects taught in the regular curriculum, including math, biology, and history. 16 students take specific places in the simulator, and each has a specific job.

Gary Gardiner created the simulator, and says he got the idea for it during a field trip when he was in elementary school.

“This is actually very similar to a real life magic school bus. We can send people to space, back in time, under the sea, anywhere their imaginations take them, we can take them,” Gardiner said.

A director sits outside the simulator controlling what the students see and making changes to the program based on what they do. Gardiner actually installed a similar version inside his house, and he’s hoping other school districts will decide they want a simulator of their own.

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